Cognitive vulnerabilities to anxiety symptoms among Chinese adolescents: A 3‐year longitudinal study

2023

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Background. Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale (APNIS) is a commonly used scale to measure attentional biases in adults. However, no research has validated the use of APNIS in primary school children and investigated the association between attentional biases and fear of COVID-19 among them. Method. Two samples of early adolescents were involved in the current research. The first sample consisted of 122 children from a primary school who completed the Chinese version of the APNIS (CAPNIS) in the classrooms. Sample two included 321 children who completed the CAPNIS, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS), Attentional Control Scale (ACS), and Fear of COVID-19 scale (FCS) in the classrooms at the first assessment. They completed FCS again after 6 months at the second assessment. Results.The study revealed a CAPNIS with acceptable to good psychometric properties. Higher negative attentional bias, but not positive attentional bias predicted higher fear of COVID-19 after 6 months, controlling for fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression symptoms at the first assessment. Conclusions. The findings supported that the CAPNIS might be used to predict the development of fear related to the pandemic.

supporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Reliabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing Attentional Biases in Children with the Seven-item Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2023

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“…A longitudinal study showed that low positive attentional bias measured by spatial orienting tasks might cause increased depression and anxiety symptoms for adolescents of 16 years (Vrijen, Hartman, & Oldehinkel, 2019). For negative attentional bias, a longitudinal study revealed that high negative attentional bias measured by the selfreport inventory predicted the developmental trajectories of high anxiety in children of 9 to 11 years over three years (Ho, Zhang, Lai, & Dai, 2021). Interventions that reduce negative attentional bias, including attentional bias modi cation, have shown e cacy in relieving anxiety and depression symptoms in children and adolescents (Krejtz, Holas, Rusanowska, & Nezlek, 2018;Kress & Aue, 2019;McDermott & Dozois, 2015).…”

Section: Attentional Bias and Internalizing Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of attentional biases in children and emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave longitudinal study

2022

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Background. It is unknown how the patterns of negative and positive attentional biases in children predict fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study identified profiles of negative and positive attentional biases in children and examined their association with emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method. 322 children were involved in a two-wave longitudinal study. Children completed the self-report assessment of fear of COVID-19, anxiety, depression, and attention to positive and negative information in classrooms. After six months, they completed the second assessment of fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression in classrooms. Results. Higher fear of COVID-19 was related to higher anxiety and depression throughout the assessment period. Three profiles of negative and positive attentional biases were revealed in children. Children with a “moderate positive and high negative attentional biases” profile had significantly higher fear of COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety, and depression than children with a “high positive and moderate negative attentional biases” profile. Children with a “low positive and negative attentional biases” profile were not significantly different in fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and depression than those with the other two profiles. Conclusions. Patterns of negative and positive attentional biases were related to emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. It might be important to consider children's overall patterns of negative and positive attentional biases to identify children at risk of higher emotional symptoms.

“…Therefore, other methods to assess attentional bias might be needed to increase our understanding of attentional bias. For negative attentional bias, a longitudinal study revealed that high negative attentional bias measured by the self-report inventory predicted the developmental trajectories of high anxiety symptoms in 72 Chinese children from grade 9 to 11 in high schools over three years [ 11 ]. The self-report inventory of attentional bias such as the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale had good reliabilities and validities [ 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of attentional biases in children and emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic: a two-wave longitudinal study

Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

2023

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Background It is unknown how the patterns of negative and positive attentional biases in children predict fear of COVID-19, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study identified profiles of negative and positive attentional biases in children and examined their association with emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method 264 children (girls: 53.8% and boys: 46.2%) of 9–10 years born in Hong Kong or mainland China from a primary school in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China were involved in a two-wave longitudinal study. Children completed the COVID-19 Fear Scale, the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Attention to Positive and Negative Information Scale to measure fear of COVID-19, anxiety and depression symptoms, and negative and positive attentional biases in classrooms. After six months, they completed the second assessment of fear of COVID-19, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms in classrooms. Latent profile analysis was conducted to reveal distinct profiles of attentional biases in children. A series of repeated MANOVA was performed to examine the association of profiles of attentional biases to fear of COVID-19, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms across 6 months. Results Three profiles of negative and positive attentional biases were revealed in children. Children with a “moderate positive and high negative attentional biases” profile had significantly higher fear of the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms than children with a “high positive and moderate negative attentional biases” profile. Children with a “low positive and negative attentional biases” profile were not significantly different in fear of COVID-19, anxiety symptoms, and depression symptoms than those with the other two profiles. Conclusions Patterns of negative and positive attentional biases were related to emotional symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. It might be important to consider children's overall patterns of negative and positive attentional biases to identify children at risk of higher emotional symptoms.